Karen Perez

Stacy Joslin
Civics and Government
6/9/15
In Civics class we learned and gained new skills throughout the year. One skill Ive
come to get better at was debating. Before taking Civics I had only experienced one real
debate. Civics introduced me to many new topics and controversial subjects. From there we
would add structure to our debates and in groups practice writing speeches and gathering
evidence to prove the point our side of the debate wants to prove. The debates in Civics was
beneficial because I learned skills in speaking in front of a class, which afterward helped me
become more confident with speaking. Another skill debating has helped me with was writing.
Writing the speeches and going through it with people in my group helped me understand how
to substitute certain word with other words to make my writing sound better.
Although I have learned many skill in Civics, there were areas where I have struggled.
Throughout the year I have been a very quiet student. Im the type of student that learns better
by listening to others. I feel as though not speaking as much in class discussions have affected
my grade each quarter. Listening to others speak about the current /topic helps me grasp my
own understanding. I have recently come face to face with the fact I do not like to ask questions
even though I know they could be beneficial for me or other students in the class. Lately I have
been showing much improvement in my other classes but my goal for next year as a senior is to
expand that progress to all of my classes and try to participate as much as I possible can.
Since taking Civics I have been more attentive to what goes on around me. Before I
never paid attention to the news or even articles. Now I keep up with the current events and
inform myself more on the topic. Ive shown more interest in all the current events and
constantly keep myself updated so I can follow along on certain protest or trials. Civics has also
shown me that I do have a role in my community and it is important even if my role is small or
large. This class has also shown me how important it is to have a role in the community. In the
future I hope to carry these lessons with me so that after I leave civics I still keep up with what is
in the news and apply my role in the in the community.